The train driver in the courtyard

Chapter 1019 Xu Damao is sick, Sadamu has arrived.
Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru simultaneously threw off the sheets and took deep breaths of the fresh air outside.

"Wife, you must be exhausted?" Li Aiguo hugged Chen Xueru and asked with concern.

It took Chen Xueru a while to regain her senses. She let out a long breath and chuckled softly:
"I'm not as tired as you."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "You've been away from home for a while, you probably haven't been eating well. What are you having for lunch?"

"We still have a few pounds of pork at home. How about we stir-fry some cabbage and shredded potatoes, and make some tofu soup?"

Li Aiguo nodded and said, "No problem, I'm not picky about food."

“Okay, let’s get up quickly and continue tonight,” Chen Xueru nodded and smiled.

Chen Xueru went to the kitchen to cook, while Li Aiguo lay back down on the kang (a heated brick bed), his hands under his head as he fell into deep thought.

I've been accumulating a lot of work lately, so I need to sort it out.

The development of four-cylinder motorcycles needs to be put on the agenda, but fortunately there are still more than half a year before the competition, so there is no rush.

The motorcycle workshop at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is about to begin construction.

The studio provides technical support and has already trained a group of qualified technicians, as well as amateur car experts to assist, so Li Aiguo doesn't need to pay too much attention.

Although well-drilling machines are not particularly complex equipment, they play a crucial role in drought relief and are therefore of the highest priority.

My absolute top priority is meeting with Saddam this afternoon.

Li Aiguo was also somewhat curious about this ruthless figure.

In particular, Saddam Hussein had a poor relationship with both the Russians and the United States. If handled properly, he might be able to plant a seed of discord in the desert.

Why did Xiao Mei's family risk offending a large group of desert people to strongly support Alie?

They even spent huge sums of money to provide various weapons and equipment, to the point that some people thought that Ale was Xiaomei's godfather.

Lobbying by big capitalists certainly played a part in this.

The main reason is that with Alie, this troublemaker, Xiaomei can keep track of the situation on the other side of the desert at any time.

To truly rise to prominence, going it alone is far from enough; you also need a troublemaker like Alie to help keep those disobedient guys in check.

The troublemaker shouldn't be too big, otherwise they might easily break away and start their own business.

It can't be too small either, otherwise it'll be dealt with before anything even happens.

This little tyrant in Xiao Yi's family is just right.

Of course, we're not like Xiaomei's family, so we can't just rob them. We believe in sharing profits and food.

Just as I was pondering this, the aroma of food wafted through the air.

Chen Xueru took a bowl, filled it with some vegetables, and then casually grabbed two steamed buns, which she then delivered to Aunt Liu.

He Yushui will be taking the high school entrance exam next year, and she's been studying hard lately. Whenever her family has something delicious to eat, they send her a portion over.

When Chen Xueru returned, the two ate and chatted.

"I have things to do this afternoon, and I'll probably be back very late tonight," Li Aiguo said.

Chen Xueru nodded: "No matter how late you come back, I'll wait for you. We still need to make a baby."

“Sure, even if it’s late at night, I’ll rush back,” Li Aiguo said with a smile.

Chen Xueru smiled shyly, then asked, "Did you see Liu Guangqi when you came back this time?"

"No, what happened to him?" Li Aiguo asked, puzzled.

"It seems that Liu Guangqi wants to divorce his wife. They've been arguing for the past two days."

Upon hearing this news, Li Aiguo was stunned for a moment, but then he understood.

A while ago, Liu Guangqi was criticized by the leaders of the engineering bureau for going to Baoding to celebrate his father-in-law's birthday without permission, and he was in a particularly low mood.

Huang Chunlan further expressed her hope that Liu Guangqi could return to work in Baoding.

Liu Guangqi is now a full-time employee and has no desire to go back to being a live-in son-in-law.

The two are arguing and will definitely end up getting a divorce.

This is their family matter, and Li Aiguo doesn't want to get involved.

As they were talking, Xu Damao came running over, his face pale and staggering.

Seeing Li Aiguo return, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, "Aiguo, did you bring your motorcycle back?"

"My stomach hurts, I need to go to the hospital right away."

These days, minor things like stomach aches are usually tolerated, but when Li Aiguo saw that Xu Damao had come all the way here, he knew the situation was serious.

"What did you eat? It's so serious."

"Hey, I don't know either." Xu Damao groaned, clutching his stomach. In just a moment, he couldn't straighten his back and almost fell to the ground.

"Could it be acute appendicitis?" Li Aiguo noticed that Xu Damao was clutching the wrong spot, and without asking any further questions, he helped Xu Damao out of the house.

"Bear with it. I'll take you to the hospital now."

"Brother Aiguo, I feel like there's a knife twisting and pulling inside my stomach. Could it be life-threatening?" Xu Damao's voice was trembling as he spoke.

"They should be fine," Li Aiguo could only reassure him.

"Brother Aiguo, how about we arrange a marriage between my daughter Xu Hua and your Hong Sheng?" Xu Damao said as he walked. "I'll give the child fifty yuan, thirty catties of walnuts, and twenty catties of red dates."

Li Aiguo was somewhat surprised by Xu Damao's thought process: "Are you confused because of the pain?"

Xu Damao ignored Li Aiguo and said to himself, "After I die, Xu Hua will be your future daughter-in-law. You'd better take good care of her."

If Liu Lan intends to remarry, then let her remarry, but all the family property cannot be given to her; it must all be left to Xu Hua.

Is this considered making arrangements for one's death?

Li Aiguo was both amused and exasperated. He helped Xu Damao to the front door and saw Yan Jiecheng had just returned. He called him over to help.

"Hey, what's wrong with Brother Da Mao?"

Yan Jiecheng helped Li Aiguo lift Xu Damao onto the motorcycle, and, fearing he might fall, sat behind him to protect him.

Li Aiguo called on the residents of the compound to go to the steel rolling mill to inform Liu Lan, and then he started a car and rushed off.

Considering the severity of Xu Damao's condition, he was specially sent to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot Hospital.

A National Day-themed X-ray machine was recently introduced to this site.

Although Xu Damao was not a railway worker, his condition was serious and he was quickly sent to the emergency room.

The doctor pressed on Xu Damao's stomach, asked a few questions, consulted with several doctors, and then ordered tests.

"You mean you want to take pictures of my intestines?" Xu Damao was also stunned when he heard this.

"We can't determine whether you have acute appendicitis or Crohn's disease right now. We can't just cut open your stomach, find out it's Crohn's disease, and then sew you back up, can we?"

Upon hearing that he would have to be disemboweled, Xu Damao no longer cared about his fear and let the doctor push him into the next room.

Even though X-ray technology was relatively primitive back then, it only had a power output of 200 milliamps.

A barium meal is required before use, but even then, the images are still blurry.

"If we had a Philips 250mA X-ray machine, we wouldn't be in such a predicament." Professor Liu Yishan, who specializes in medical imaging, frowned as he looked at the image.

"Hey, Professor, stop dreaming. That thing costs a whopping $200 million each, and there are only five in the whole country," the assistant whispered.

Li Aiguo knew that high-end medical equipment was a highly profitable industry, but he never expected that an X-ray machine could sell for such an exorbitant price.

This is much more profitable than selling diapers.

If only we could manufacture a batch.
Of course, the time is not yet ripe, and Li Aiguo temporarily buried this idea in his heart.

At this moment, Liu Lan also arrived after hearing the news. She rushed into the office and asked in a panic, "Doctor, how is my man?"

"It can now be confirmed as acute appendicitis. Don't worry, we have performed many appendicitis surgeries, and the risk is very low."

Xu Damao was taken into the operating room for preoperative preparation.

Despite the doctor's comforting words, Liu Lan was still so flustered that she almost burst into tears. Fortunately, her second aunt, third aunt, and Aunt Liu arrived and helped to comfort her.

When Li Aiguo saw that the family members had arrived, he chatted with Liu Lan for a few words and left early, considering that he had important work to do in the afternoon.

I rushed here and arrived at the studio at one o'clock in the afternoon.

As soon as I parked my motorcycle, I saw two black cars with foreign affairs license plates drive up from outside.

The car slowly came to a stop, and a young man dressed in desert-style clothing got out.

He was tall with a high nose and regular features, but his eyes always gleamed with a sharp light.

No wonder he's a man who will accomplish great things in later generations; he seems extraordinary.

Li Aiguo is sizing up Sadam.

Sadam was also sizing up Li Aiguo. To his surprise, this train driver, who had been repeatedly praised by his uncle Becker and who was able to withstand both the Russians and the Americans, was so young.

Sadam extended his hand and greeted her in broken Chinese: "Nihao."

"Hello, welcome to Qianmen Locomotive Depot." Li Aiguo extended his hand to shake hands with Sadam, speaking in broken Arabic.

You actually speak our language?

"I learned it during a meeting."

As they were chatting, Section Chief Xing and a group of other section leaders from the locomotive depot arrived and shook hands with Sadam and greeted him.

After the superficial work was done, Sadam looked at Li Aiguo with a smile: "I heard you built a large off-road vehicle, can you show it to me?"

"The car is parked in the yard." Li Aiguo gestured for the car to proceed.

Li Aiguo led Sadam into the courtyard.

Upon seeing the massive SUV, Sadam excitedly walked over, slapped his hand on the hood, and exclaimed, "Big! Really big! A real man should drive a big vehicle!"

"Patriotism, I really like this car."

“I like it very much too.” Li Aiguo stepped forward, opened the car door, and said with a smile, “Mr. Sadam, would you like to take a test ride?”

"Test drive?" In those days, there was no such thing as a test drive. Sadam was stunned for a moment before he understood, and nodded repeatedly: "You're a true friend for being willing to let others drive your car."

As he was speaking, Sadam was about to get into the car, and the foreign affairs leader from the Yi family who had come with him panicked.

Although Sadam is not well-known, he controls an armed force and has a special status in the Yi family. If something really happens, they will probably all be implicated.

Several people in white robes in the desert wanted to step forward to dissuade them, but Sadam glared at them and told them to wait here: "You can all wait here."

With just a few simple words, those people in white desert robes all took two steps back.

Li Aiguo felt a surge of admiration; indeed, he was a man with an aura of dominance.

However, Li Aiguo reached out and stopped Sadam, who was about to get on the bus.

Do you have a driver's license from here?

"A driver's license?" Sadam frowned noticeably. He didn't even have a driver's license, let alone one from this area. How dare a mere train driver stop him?
“Without a driver’s license, you don’t meet the road safety standards and may be penalized by the traffic police. You can only ride in the car; I will drive.” Facing his sharp gaze, Li Aiguo opened the passenger door on his own: “Please.”

The comrades from the foreign affairs department did not expect Sadam to test drive the large off-road vehicle, nor did they expect Li Aiguo to stop him. They immediately wanted to step forward to help Sadam out of the predicament.

After staring at Li Aiguo for a moment, Sadam suddenly laughed: "Do you know what my uncle thinks of you?"

Those comrades from the foreign affairs department were all veterans who had experienced countless unexpected situations. Upon hearing this, they sensed something was wrong and immediately stopped talking.

Li Aiguo looked at Sadam.

Sadam waved his hand, and a white-robed attendant brought over a box of cigars and lit them for him.

hiss.
call.
After taking a puff, Sadam continued, "My uncle said you're the toughest man he's ever met. Not many people dare to slam their fists on the table in front of Big Brother, but you do!"

"I used to think I was the only one in the world who could do this, but now I've finally seen a second one."

Sadam raised his cigar and took a puff, his eyes flickering in and out of the smoke.

He tilted his head at a 75-degree angle, striking a pose of a worldly sage: "You have an old saying here, which goes, 'A real man doesn't have to worry about not finding a walking iron to tread with!'"

A soldering iron? An old saying?
Is it that one should not worry about having no friends on the road ahead?

Li Aiguo's lips twitched twice as he asked, "May I ask, sir, is your Chinese teacher from that place in Northeast China?"

"How do you know? That guy's father is from Northeast China, and he's a famous Chinese teacher there now, married to five wives. I spent a whole camel to hire him."

Sadam asked instinctively, "Is it because his Chinese teaching is a bit off?"

“No, no, no, your Chinese is exceptionally standard. This person is an excellent teacher,” Li Aiguo quickly replied.

Given Saddam's volatile temper, if he dared to tell the truth now, that man with five wives would probably be buried in the desert.

"It's just so-so. It's not that the teacher taught well, it's just that I have a high aptitude for languages." Sadam was also very happy to receive Li Aiguo's praise.

He opened the car door, preparing to get into the passenger seat.

Li Aiguo pointed to the cigar: "Smoking is not allowed in my car."

Sadam: "."

Why isn't this soldering iron iron anymore?

Watching the SUV speed away, a junior colleague from the foreign affairs department walked up to the director and whispered, "According to the information we got from Xiao Yi's family, Sadam has a bad temper. Why was he so affectionate with driver Li today?"

“You don’t understand Sadam.” The old director squinted and said, “This man may seem reckless, but he is a true Yi person. He has always been dissatisfied with outsiders interfering in Yi family affairs. The things that the patriotic comrades did are exactly to his liking.”

"Patriotism is really lucky."

"Was it just good luck?" The old director recalled Li Aiguo's performance just now.

Each step seemed casual, yet it was as if meticulously designed to instantly bridge the gap with Saddam.

Since Becker became president, he has been constrained by the situation within the Russian family and has had no choice but to cling to the coattails of the Russians.

The signing of this agreement on the railway network and early warning system was made under pressure from the Russians.

While the Russians were still in a meeting, they specifically criticized Becker.

Although our relationship with the Ukrainian people has gradually grown closer in the past two years due to numerous trade transactions, we are still far behind the Russians in terms of status.

The Iraqi region is now an important oil-producing area, which is exactly what we need, but due to the Russians, an agreement has been delayed.

"Perhaps with Comrade Aiguo's help, we can make a breakthrough at Xiao Yi's house." Only then did the old director understand why the higher-ups had specifically agreed to let Li Aiguo be in charge of receiving Sadam.

The off-road vehicle drove around outside for nearly an hour before finally returning to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The comrades from the foreign affairs department and Xiao Yi's family were all waiting anxiously. When they saw Sadam get off the car unharmed, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a great vehicle! This is the fastest and most powerful vehicle I've ever seen. The only downside is that the materials are just so-so." Sadam walked around the SUV and thought it was too rudimentary.

Li Aiguo smiled and said, "We also offer customized services. Whatever your requirements, we can meet them."

"Customized?" Sadam's eyes lit up. He pointed to the large off-road vehicle and said, "Make the hood pure gold, and plate the whole car with gold!"

He paused for a moment: "Of course, I can pay more!"

"Money doesn't matter. We're not building cars to make money, we're just making friends." Li Aiguo originally planned to build a luxury SUV, and now that his first customer has come to him, he naturally can't let the opportunity pass.

Li Aiguo warmly invited Sadam into his office, took out the configuration materials for the international luxury version of the off-road vehicle, and handed them over.

Sadam didn't care at first, after all, what could a train driver know about luxury?
I was immediately captivated by the information at first glance.

"A starry sky roof? That's great! What are electric windows? I'll take them, and electric seats too! It's just that the gold-handled umbrella is a bit cheap; I want the pure gold one."

After seeing it, Sadam was very satisfied with the luxury version of the off-road vehicle, but he was also a little puzzled: "Patriot, I feel like you have a problem with gold. Why not use more pure gold for such a good car?"

Why? Of course, it's because gold is a strategic reserve material.

Li Aiguo waved his hand at Saddam: "Old Saddam, gold is indeed beautiful, but there are some materials that cannot be made of gold. For example, these two car doors. We have developed a high-tech material that can withstand bulletproof fire and machine gun fire. Of course, this material is ten times the price of gold."

Li Aiguo consulted with Teng yesterday, and the higher-ups' opinion on Lao Sa is to cooperate with his requests as much as possible.

It's impossible to provide full-vehicle bulletproofing, but bulletproofing for two doors is still an option.

"Bulletproof?!" Sadam's breathing quickened.

You know, he often has to fight on the front lines now, and he's most worried about stray bullets. With a bulletproof SUV, his chances of survival are much higher.

"Alright, alright, Patriotic brother, we'll do it your way! It'd be best if it was built before I return home." Sadamu also liked the large off-road vehicle; it would be so cool to drive.

Li Aiguo had the wild car experts record all of Sadam's needs.

Of course, unreasonable ones must be rejected.

For example, you could install a bathtub or a zoo inside the large off-road vehicle, and keep giraffes or something.

The hood is made of pure gold, the whole car is gold-plated, it has two bulletproof doors, power seat adjustment, and power windows—it uses whatever is most expensive.

After some calculations, the customized off-road vehicle is worth the equivalent of a cargo ship full of dates, or the equivalent value of oil.

"Let's go with the dates. Those polar bears in the Northeast are keeping an eye on it; transporting oil is too much trouble." Sadam signed his name on the agreement without a care in the world.

A cargo ship carrying thousands of tons of dates was presented, and the comrades from the foreign affairs department were astonished when they saw the agreement.

"A car can be exchanged for so many things, no wonder the higher-ups value patriotic comrades so much."

After signing the agreement, Old Sa returned to the foreign affairs office to prepare for the shipment of dates.

Li Aiguo then contacted Professor Chen Zunan, who was currently preparing for production at the Second Automobile Works.

Currently, Dongfeng Motor Corporation has started large-scale production of parts and can help produce a batch of parts.

When Chen Zunan heard that Li Aiguo had received an order for a luxury off-road vehicle, he was overjoyed and immediately took the parts and set off by train for Beijing.

After hanging up the phone, Li Aiguo handed over the list of materials and accessories needed for the customization to the Wild Car expert for his help in preparing them before leisurely riding his bicycle back to the courtyard house.

As soon as I entered the hospital, I saw that Liu Lan had just returned from the hospital as well.

"How is Brother Da Mao doing now?" Li Aiguo stepped forward and greeted him.

"The surgery was quite successful. The doctor said I just need to rest in the hospital for a few days." Liu Lan said gratefully.

She had heard from the doctor that if Li Aiguo hadn't acted decisively and sent Xu Damao there, Xu Damao might have been in mortal danger.

"You must listen to the doctor and not let Damao eat anything indiscriminately."

Li Aiguo chatted with Liu Lan for a few minutes before returning home.

By this time, all the residents in the compound knew about Xu Damao's surgery.

These days, surgery is a big deal, and you should visit the person who performed the surgery.

It's impractical for every family to go and visit the sick.

The third uncle approached Yi Zhonghai and proposed that, in the name of the courtyard house, each household contribute something and send two representatives to the hospital.

Yi Zhonghai readily agreed and held a meeting that evening to explain Xu Damao's situation.

Xu Damao often delivered mountain products to the residents, and when the residents heard that they were going to visit him, they all raised their hands in agreement.

A few eggs from one neighbor, two pounds of apples from another. Li Aiguo also took out half a pound of brown sugar, following the market trend.

The representatives who went to visit were Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Uncle San.

The conference was a rare and resounding success, and Yi Zhonghai felt as if he had returned to his old days.

He hummed a little tune, carried his things home, and had just sat down when Jia Dongxu arrived.

"Master, everyone donated quite a lot of things today, right?" Jia Dongxu rubbed his hands together and looked at Yi Zhonghai with anticipation.

Yi Zhonghai knew what he was thinking, and frowned as he said, "Dongxu, those things are for Xu Damao, they have nothing to do with you."

“My family’s life is much more difficult than Xu Damao’s.”

"Dongxu, it really won't work this time. You should go back first. I'll figure out a way to handle your family's situation."

Yi Zhonghai knew very well that Liu Haizhong and the Third Uncle were not easy to fool, and if he were to give the goods to Jia Dongxu, he would definitely be exposed.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's resolute attitude, Jia Dongxu had no choice but to return home.

"I think Master has been scared out of his wits by Li Aiguo!"

Seeing his expression, Qin Huairu shook her head with a wry smile and turned to go into the kitchen to get busy.

Late at night, thousands of lights shone brightly.

Inside a study in the capital city.

The foreign affairs department reported to its superiors about Sadam's order for a specially made off-road vehicle.

"They brought back a boatload of dates in exchange; Comrade Patriot has done another meritorious service." The superior praised.

"This is a detailed account of the negotiations. We recorded everything because we were worried that Comrade Aiguo might lack experience." The comrade from the foreign affairs department handed over the records.

For important meetings like this, taking notes is essential.

The superior took it, flipped through it, and nodded, saying, "Both humble and arrogant, Comrade Aiguo handled it very well."

"Yes, even I was on tenterhooks at the time, afraid that the guests would get angry. I think Comrade Aiguo has a real talent for foreign affairs work."

After a few casual words, the comrade from the foreign affairs department asked, "With this order, our relationship with Xiao Yi's family will be closer. Should we step in and give it a push?"

The higher-ups understood the implication of adding fuel to the fire, and waved their hands, saying, "No need. Sadam's order of the large off-road vehicle is his personal matter and has nothing to do with Xiao Yi's family. Comrade Aiguo can handle the reception."

The leader of the foreign affairs department was taken aback at first, but then understood and nodded, saying, "Understood."

It was already late, and the foreign affairs department leader left so as not to disturb his superiors' rest.

The superior picked up the meeting minutes and looked at them again, then smiled and said, "This time, Comrade Aiguo might actually be able to find us a helper."

The night is getting darker.

The lights gradually went out, and the entire capital city fell asleep.

(End of this chapter)